About Cal Skinner

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Last year, BCBS of Illinois discontinued their popular broad-based PPO for the individual market which was a plan that covered virtually all doctors and hospitals in Illinois.

This change affected all of us who purchased this insurance OFF the exchange and were paying full price (because we do not qualify for subsidies).

This plan is still in place for group plans, but not for individuals, on and off the ACS marketplace.

They are now funneling all of us who buy individual policies into their Blue Choice PPO which had (has?) virtually no doctors in this area.

Last year, we moved to Aetna, which is probably not an option for next year either and we all know that the other option, Land of Lincoln, is now gone.

We will be forced into the BCBS of IL product that is awful for McHenry County residents who buy individual policies.

I heard on the news this AM that 1/2 of the individual policies purchased in the US are purchased OFF the exchange and are typically purchased by small business owners, sole proprietors, etc.

The huge increases being proposed by insurance companies for 2017 will be particularly brutal for individual policy holders who purchase OFF the exchange (because we pay the full amount and are subsidizing people on the exchange).

Group plans are more insulated from these huge increases and do not share the pain.

For all the talk about how small business owners are responsible for propping up the economy, being and economic engine, etc., you would think that our Illinois politicians would be doing more.

Some states have small business pools which might help insulate small business owners from truly devastating premium increases.

Locally, in McHenry County, the health insurance situation has been deteriorating more than Democratic controlled Cook County since O-Bummer-Care was instituted.

If our state and local politicians didn’t know about this, they are irresponsible and ineffective.

I find it incomprehensible and indefensible that our local politicians have done NOTHING to head this off and I have personally written to all of them.

Blue Cross now features a family photo.

But why should they do anything?

They have access to affordable insurance.

Maybe if they had to fend for themselves for health insurance, they would have a different stance.

It is also an election year so instead of going to work for their small biz constituents, our local politicians are content to sit back and make their local small business owners suffer with O-Bummer-Care, to make a point – so childish.

I realize that the ACA is a total failure and needs to be drastically changed but I am also pretty sure that our local politicians did not go to bat for their small biz owners who are drowning in property taxes and health insurance premiums.

They are too busy working on talking points to get re-elected.

Sickingly, they are NOW all reacting and writing to say how terrible the increases are.

Why not be PROACTIVE instead of REACTIVE when it is probably too late!